Raspberry Trifle

This was so berry, berry good.  (Someone has been watching too much Strawberry Shortcake.)
I made this on the 4th of July, right after picking fresh raspberries at West Union Gardens.  Mmmmm.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup raspberry jam
4 cups raspberries
2 cups heavy cream (or more)
2 Tbl sugar
1 1/2 pounds favorite pound cake (2 loaf pans is plenty)
      ***I used the sour cream pound cake recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

In a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and lemon juice to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Let cool.

In another small bowl, combine jam with 3 cups of the berries, mashing slightly.

In another bowl whip the cream and the 2 Tbl sugar to stiff peaks.

Slice cake into 3/4" slices, brushing both sides with lemon syrup.

Fit 1/3 of the slices in the bottom of a trifle dish, trimming edges if needed.  Gently spread 1/3 of raspberry mixture, and then 1/3 of whipped cream.  Repeat twice, and then add whole raspberries to the top.

Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Cinnabon Coffee Cake

This recipe is great for when you want cinnamon rolls but don't have the time. Or for when you have way too many cubes of  butter in your fridge.  Either way, it is super good.

This recipe was floating around facebook for a while, but I'm not sure of the origins beyond that.

3 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 c sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 Tbsp butter, melted

2 stick (1 cup) butter, softened

1 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2/3 c nuts

2 c powdered sugar

5 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1. With an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, mix 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, 2 T flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes

And yet another Taste of Home recipe!  I realized of all the magazines that come through the house, this is one magazine I really use.  I've gifted it to several people and just cant't say enough about it.

My only changes to this recipe is to only add a little hot sauce (I used Frank's) so that it isn't too spicy for the kids, and then put the hot sauce on the table to add more as desired.  It is best on sturdy buns.  Regular hamburger buns get pretty soggy quickly.

Photo from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 pounds extra-lean ground turkey

• 2 celery ribs, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 medium carrot, grated

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

• 1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 8 hamburger buns, split

• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, optional

  Directions

  1. Cook the first five ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, hot sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; heat through.

  1. Serve on buns; sprinkle with cheese if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

2 pounds extra-lean ground turkey

 

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

 

3 garlic cloves, minced

 

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

 

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

 

1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 hamburger buns, split

 

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, optional

Roasted Sweet Potato and Prociutto Salad

This was another Taste of Home recipe I found and it was really tasty!  I changed it just barely (it called for radishes, which I used, but I didn't think they blended well at all.)


Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in . pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
2 green onions, sliced, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey



Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Place sweet potatoes in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoons slat and the pepper; toss to coat. Roast 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle prosciutto over sweet potatoes; roast 10-15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and prosciutto is crisp. Transfer to a large bowl; cool slightly.

Add pecans, red pepper and half of the green onions. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, honey and remaining oil and salt until blended. Drizzle over salad; toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining green onion.

Chicken Saltimbocca

I pulled this recipe out of an old "Taste of Home" I had floating around.  3 out of 4 kids asked for seconds, so I take that as a win!  I did make a LOT of rice, so I ended up freezing a bunch for another meal.  The original recipe calls for fresh sage, which I skipped since I forgot at the store...  Plus I think this would have scared away kids.  Instead I just sprinkled some dried sage into the sauce, and it added a really nice flavor to the entire dish.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 4 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham, halved
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, cut a slit lengthwise through the thickest part of each chicken breast; fill with prosciutto and two sage leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side; return all to the pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add wine to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Stir in the sour cream, sugar and minced sage; heat through (do not boil). Serve with chicken and rice. 

Slow Cooker Marinara

Have I really not posted new recipes since the summer?  This made me ponder if I had made anything new since the summer.  The answer was yes, but honestly, there have been quite a few "cereal for dinner!" nights in there, too.  I cracked open a few cookbooks this last week when I was *gasp* menu planning, and thought I'd share those recipes along with a few I've stashed away the last few months, as well.

This recipe for slow cooker marinara came from a new blog I've been following called Budget Bytes.  Here is the original post on her site.  This made enough for 3 meals.  We ate one right away, and I froze the other two.  I think the only thing I did differently was to make it smooth with my stick blender when it was done, to please my "no chunk" eaters.  The sauce is so very rich and "real" tasting, compared to many jars and cans, and it made the house smell remarkable all day long!

Ingredients

• 2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes 
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste 
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• ½ Tbsp minced garlic 
• 2 whole bay leaves 
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• ½ Tbsp dried oregano 
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• to taste salt & pepper 

Instructions

1. Cut the onion into a small dice and mince the garlic. Place both in the slow cooker. Also add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and freshly cracked pepper. Stir well to combine. If your slow cooker tends to lose moisture and dry things out, add ½ to 1 cup of water as well.
2. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.
3. Remove the lid on the slow cooker, stir the sauce, and remove the bay leaves. Season with salt to taste (I added about 1 tsp). Enjoy over your favorite pasta!

Stuffed Shells

This recipe is so easy, a 5 year old could do it!  Short of boiling the noodles, Beatrix prepared this entire dish.  It is a perfect dinner to get the kids not only involved, but taking ownership of the meal.  And they were pretty tasty, too!

1 package jumbo shells
1 jar spaghetti sauce - I used some previously frozen Slow Cooker Marinara
36 frozen meatballs, thawed
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package.  Drain and let cool.
Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13.
Put a meatball inside each shell, and then put in the casserole.
Cover with sauce, and then sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in a 350 oven, covered for 35 minutes, and then uncovered for about 5 more, until bubbly.